Why I Love Being a Mom

Here are a few reasons why motherhood is pretty much awesome...

1. Today was Easter and Joshua came running up the stairs to tell me that he thought he had seen the Easter Bunny's shadow.

2. Mercedes randomly told me, "I love you, Mommy" for the first time yesterday.

3. Joshua likes to pretend he's different animals or objects. Lately he has been alternating between a frog and a bird (when he gets tired of hopping, he turns into a bird that flies). Well, yesterday he was a bird and when he went pee he told me that he was making honey for the other baby birds (yeah, I ignored that comment and hoped that I just wouldn't hear that one again).

4. Every time I change the neighbor's diaper (when I am babysitting for date night), Mercedes then makes herself go potty so that I will have to change hers as well. She gets jealous even about diaper changes.

5. Joshua prayed last night and said that he was thankful for his toys and hoped he'd get more toys because he loves his toys so much and they are very handsome and sometimes green.

6. Mercedes says, "eww" and points at her diaper anytime she goes pee or poop and insists on being changed. Not only do I have to change her each time, but she also insists on me putting "medicine" on her (Desitin). Some may say she's ready to be potty trained, and to you I say that I learned my lesson with Joshua. She will pretty much have to beg to be potty trained before I will make the attempt.

7. In the picture above, you may notice that Joshua has an unnatural color of green coming out of his nose. I don't get it, but the only green thing he'll eat are his boogers. It's nasty, and I am trying to break him of this annoying little hobby. Today, Joshua sang in front of the chapel with the primary for the first time. He made sure to give me a wave and a thumbs up, and he also picked his nose. Later, in primary, they colored a picture of Mary at Jesus's tomb and of course he colored with a green marker. The marker got all over his hands and when he picked his nose, some of the marker was left behind as evidence. There was also a spot of green on his lips where I imagine it left evidence of him eating them. So gross!

8. Mercedes will storm her way into time-out when she is having a temper tantrum and then not more than a few seconds later she will come back with a huge smile on her face and tell me she's done crying.

9. Joshua will sing songs to Mercedes at bedtime if she is having trouble sleeping. Also, the other night, when the two were sleeping, Miss Mercedes woke up screaming her head off. I made my way down the stairs and stopped at the doorway when I saw that Joshua had already gotten up with her. He hadn't seen me, but had opened the door. He started to tell Mercedes, "don't worry, nobody has left you. You're okay. Go back to sleep. Don't worry I'm not leaving, I just opened the door so you could see better." He stroked her back until she was back asleep and then bolted out of the room as fast as he could to go sleep upstairs.

10. Mercedes is afraid of the camera flash and so I have a really hard time getting her to smile in any of the pictures I take of her. You will see what I mean in the pictures above...